If you think the only risk you run delaying a root canal is prolonged pain, you’d be wrong. While you will certainly suffer tooth pain on and off with a damaged or infected tooth, there are other risks associated with delaying a root canal treatment. Your mouth is also the gateway to the body, and severe infection can spread, causing other problems. Here’s why you should think twice about delaying a root canal:

Tooth Death

An infected tooth can only remain infected for so long before decay takes over and the tooth dies. The pain will persist and get worse as the infection spreads deeper into the fleshy part of the tooth beneath the hard enamel, also known as the pulp.

Abscessed Tooth

An infected tooth left untreated can grow to be a much bigger issue and cause massive tooth decay. A root canal takes care of this problem. If the tooth goes too long without the pulp being cleaned you can get what is called an abscessed tooth. Symptoms include:

Fever

Bitter taste in the mouth

Swollen neck glands

Redness and swelling of gums

Draining sore on the side of the gum

Uneasy or ill feeling

It Won’t Heal on its Own

Since the infection occurs inside the tooth, it’s almost impossible to remove infected pulp and tissue without having a root canal procedure. If the pain begins to subside significantly, or completely goes away, that’s a bad sign — it means the tooth has died. It’s much easier (and less expensive) to save the natural tooth.

You Can Save the Tooth

The point of a root canal is to save the natural tooth. Root canal treatment have a 95 percent success rate. Advantages of having a natural tooth, opposed to an implant, are:

Death

In extreme cases, infections from an abscessed tooth can spread to the brain and other parts of the body, and can result in death. It’s best to not put treatment off for any reason.

There’s no excuse not to take care of an infected tooth with a root canal treatment. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff at Copper Creek will give you all the information you need to feel safe and relaxed going into a treatment. Learn more about root canals, and contact us here for a free consultation today!